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at this point, i'd love nothing more than to put him out of business. He owns 71 properties in chester county alone, and something like 22 in the city of philadelphia. but at the same time, dont have time to let this drag out in court, finding a new place is in the works, just give us what we are owed and move on.
So, sitting on a pile of money then.
My bet is that you will have no trouble finding an attorney to take this on. Explain your concerns regarding an immediate place to live vs the long-term issue of taking this guy down, and see what the options are.
And let the attorney handle it all, once you take him on. It is so freeing to let an attorney deal with the *******s in your life.
If your slumlord did this to you, he's done it to others.
Great Story, Great Detail. It was Easy to read since you clearly have a grasp on the concept of paragraphs and punctuation. Most people don't, they post on this board at the end of their rope and are frustrated and mad and let emotions get in the way of periods and commas and facts.
Do you have renters insurance? They should cover Hotel Stay if the LL stops paying.
You have the right to be made whole again. That means that you can ask for rent back when you couldn't use the apartment.
As I read it, you've been paying rent into escrow since March. You can probably keep that money when the dust settles, but don't spend it yet.
Personally, I think you should move and be done with it. It doesn't sound like the LL has much money, and is headed for financial ruin in a hurry. Even if you win a judgement against him, you might struggle to collect for a long time.
My bet is that you will have no trouble finding an attorney to take this on.
If he did this to you, he's done it to others.
I have no doubt , maybe not to this level, but i'm sure he drags his feet on all of them. what gets me is that what it could have cost based on what its gonna cost.
I have no doubt , maybe not to this level, but i'm sure he drags his feet on all of them. what gets me is that what it could have cost based on what its gonna cost.
Well, it's obviously worked for him so far.
Time to break his nasty little habit by interrupting his reward cycle.
Note - you can be sure he already has an attorney, DO NOT attempt to deal with this without your own attorney. If his attorney calls you up with an offer, politely refer him to your own attorney.
You can sue for whatever your losses are due to the house issues. Did you get renters insurance? They may be able to help with the losses you incurred. Great job on the record keeping and hiring a attorney.
Great Story, Great Detail. It was Easy to read since you clearly have a grasp on the concept of paragraphs and punctuation. Most people don't, they post on this board at the end of their rope and are frustrated and mad and let emotions get in the way of periods and commas and facts.
Do you have renters insurance? They should cover Hotel Stay if the LL stops paying.
You have the right to be made whole again. That means that you can ask for rent back when you couldn't use the apartment.
As I read it, you've been paying rent into escrow since March. You can probably keep that money when the dust settles, but don't spend it yet.
Personally, I think you should move and be done with it. It doesn't sound like the LL has much money, and is headed for financial ruin in a hurry. Even if you win a judgement against him, you might struggle to collect for a long time.
So get your stuff, and move.
we haven't touched the Escrow account, and wont until its legally ruled that we can.
As long as I can get moving expenses out of him and whatever rent i can get back, including security deposit, we would be good to go. Like i mentioned before, and i don't know for sure, and its a moot point, but i think he has more money than you'd think. But he also could be living above his means , and maxed out on credit as well.
IF we can get what i've mentioned, i'd be ok with that, however, I'd love nothing more than to put him out of business regardless if I ever se a dime or not.
We aren't looking to "get rich" at all. We want to be released from our lease. We want our moving expenses paid for. We'd like a portion of the money sitting in escrow to be released to us, not all of it, based on the unfit conditions, time off work, and what not. And we want our security deposit back.
We are in a bad situation trying, and needing to get out ASAP, so thats all we want our lawyer to get for us. Have tried to deal with landlord ourselves, but we all see how that worked out.
Just let your attorney handle it and go after the LL for all you can. Attorney will pick it all apart and get every minute detail to make their determination of what it is all worth.
Regarding bolded above, I am not so sure that you shouldn't ask for everything in escrow being that you had what I would consider (my opinion only, not legal) many uninhabitable situations you were dealing with for a VERY long time (hence, of course, the reason you stopped paying him and putting the money in escrow). And then things just snowballed from there and got much worse and now you have to deal with staying in a hotel and finding a new place, etc, etc, etc. Inconvenience after inconvenience and then some.
I say go after him for everything you possibly can. He deserves nothing less. People like him deserve to pay and be punished for pulling crap like he did! Especially if he has been renting this place long before you rented it. And if he gives you any lip just tell him he is damn lucky your car wasn't also in that garage when it collapsed.
1. Contact your attorney to get them involved and set out the proper steps going forward.
2. Contact your Renter's Insurance for assistance with temporary living.
Just let your attorney handle it and go after the LL for all you can. Attorney will pick it all apart and get every minute detail to make their determination of what it is all worth.
Regarding bolded above, I am not so sure that you shouldn't ask for everything in escrow being that you had what I would consider (my opinion only, not legal) many uninhabitable situations you were dealing with for a VERY long time (hence, of course, the reason you stopped paying him and putting the money in escrow). And then things just snowballed from there and got much worse and now you have to deal with staying in a hotel and finding a new place, etc, etc, etc. Inconvenience after inconvenience and then some.
I say go after him for everything you possibly can. He deserves nothing less. People like him deserve to pay and be punished for pulling crap like he did! Especially if he has been renting this place long before you rented it. And if he gives you any lip just tell him he is damn lucky your car wasn't also in that garage when it collapsed.
However, you fail to take into account that the OP will have to pay the attorney whether or not he succeeds in winning a civil suit against the LL. Going after him for everything he possibly can may result in a negative outcome if the cost of the attorney fees outweigh what he will actually receive from a judgement. Again, getting a judgement is relatively easy - collecting on it is NOT, regardless of whether the LL has a pile of money or not. A shady LL has undoubtedly got his own attorney on retained and knows every possible way to shield his assets from a civil case. It's just not as simple as you make it sound. Sure, people like the LL deserve to be punished; however, in the real world, ****happens.
So, why are you still living there? Living in sewage and hoping to sue instead of packing up your stuff and moving to another place that is in better condition?
It sounds to me like the landlord has been working on the problem all along. But a faulty sewer line is a valid reason for you to break the lease and move out. You should have been out of there as soon as it became obvious that it wasn't going to be a fast fix.
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